http://mmajunkie.comMONTREAL – His first shot at dethroning UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida ended in a controversial decision loss and demands for an immediate rematch.

In his second attempt, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua left no doubt, picked up a first-round knockout victory, delivered Machida his first career defeat, and staked claim to the UFC’s light-heavyweight title.

The championship fight headlined UFC 113, which took place Saturday at Montreal’s soldout Bell Centre and aired on pay-per-view.

Machida and Rua first fought in October at UFC 104, where the well-matched 205-pounders went the full five rounds and left their fate in the hands of the judges, who disagreed with most fans (and even UFC president Dana White) and awarded the champ the unanimous-decision win.

After the rematch was delayed by injuries, Rua finally got his second shot and wasted little time taking the fight to Machida. Whereas the first meeting was a strategic affair with both competitors throwing kicks from distance, “Shogun” quickly let his hands fly in the rematch. He clipped Machida with the blows before the champ took the fight to the mat on two occasions. But Rua quickly escaped, and after the second restart, connected on a beautiful overhand right that sent Machida crashing to the mat.

Rua sensed the finish and quickly followed with nearly a dozen punches until referee Yves Lavigne called for the TKO stoppage at the 3:35 mark of the opening round.

“This time instead of working my kicks, I worked on my hands,” Rua said. “It worked this time.”

With the win, Rua (19-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC), a former PRIDE 205-pound grand-prix champion who initially struggled after his move to the UFC, has now won three of four fights. (The lone blemish was the controversial decision loss to Machida.)

In the night’s co-headliner, four-time NCAA Division I All-American and 2001 national champion Josh Koscheck returned to his roots and wrestled his way to a unanimous-decision victory over Paul Daley, a coaching spot on the upcoming 12th season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and a title shot with welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

The fight, though, ended on a truly ugly note.

Koscheck, an already-beleaguered fighter, was dominant but didn’t win over any fans when the fight was briefly stopped late in the first round. After Koscheck scored a takedown, Daley escaped a rear-naked-choke attempt and appeared to connect on an illegal knee to the face of his downed opponent. Koscheck crashed to the mat in apparent pain, and referee Dan Miragliotta instantly deducted a point.

Replays, though, showed that the blow only grazed Koscheck at best. In fact, an overhead camera appeared to show Daley whiffing completely on the strike, and UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan complimented Koscheck’s acting abilities. (After the round, Miragliotta saw the replay and actually alerted cageside officials that the point deduction had been nixed.)

Despite the confusion, Koscheck continued a relentless attack and quickly took the fight to the mat again in the second round. Daley tried to strike from his back, but Koscheck’s stifling top game, constantly improving position, and ground and pound left the British slugger a fish out of water and down two rounds to none.

The third and final frame was much the same. Koscheck again used his wrestling to take the fight to the mat, and Daley never had the position he needed to unload a trademark left hand – a usually devastating weapon that led him to knockout wins over Martin Kampmann and Dustin Hazelett and into the No. 1 contender’s bout with Koscheck.

In the end, all three judges scored the bout in Koscheck’s favor, 30-27.

However, after the fight ended and the competitors returned to their feet, Daley unloaded a cheap shot that struck Koscheck in the face. Miragliotta immediately shoved Daley into the fence and chided the fighter. In fact, the towering ref wouldn’t release the fighter until he promised he wouldn’t go after Koscheck again.

And to assure the fight was a complete debacle in every sense, Koscheck then fired off insults to the Montreal crowd and their local team, the NHL’s Canadiens.

“Don’t worry; next week the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to kick your ass,” said Koscheck, who was showered with boos from the time he entered the arena. “Then I’m going to beat St-Pierre, and you guys are going to lose twice. … How do you like that Montreal?”

With the decision victory, Koscheck picks up his 13th win in the UFC and moves to 15-4 overall (13-4 UFC). He’ll now get a shot to avenge a 2007 decision defeat to St-Pierre.

Daley, meanwhile, drops to 23-9-2 (2-1 UFC). And with the cheap post-fight shot, he could be on his way out of the organization and on his way to a lengthy suspension and hefty fine.

A bout that was the near-consensus early pick for “Fight of the Night” honors didn’t disappoint when Jeremy Stephens met fellow lightweight striker Sam Stout.

However, Stephens’ power and quickly improving sprawl and ground game proved too much for the Canadian kickboxer allowed “Lil Heathen” to gain an early lead he’d carry to a split-decision win.

While Stephens’ propensity to stand and bang had led to an inconsistent 4-4 mark in the UFC, the style worked perfectly for Stout, who was battered in the first round and slowed by counter right hands and knees to the head and face. Although bloodied in the exchanges, Stout never really slowed. Stephens, though, simply proved the superior striker and avoided his opponent’s big blows until late in the round, when Stout finally connected on a crushing low kick. The blow allowed Stout to score a takedown and solid ground-and-pound attack, but it was too little too late for the Canadian.

In the end, the judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28 and 28-29 in Stephens’ favor.

“Sam Stout is a warrior,” Stephens said. “We knew we’d fight one day, and I was just glad it was in Montreal. … I just felt I was more powerful.”

Stephens, a 23-year-old who’s now fought nine times under the UFC banner, moves to 17-5 overall and breaks the .500 mark with a 5-4 record in the UFC. Stout, who was riding high after back-to-back decision victories over notables Matt Wiman and Joe Lauzon, drops to 15-6-1 (4-5 UFC).

The bout also concluded a miserable night for Canadian fighters, who went just 1-6 against their American counterparts at UFC 113. Only featured preliminary-card fighter Joe Doerksen notched a Canadian victory.

Prior to a heavily hyped heavyweight matchup, former NFL player Matt Mitrione was all smiles. He smiled in pre-fight interviews and at Friday’s weigh-ins, he smiled as he entered the Bell Centre to a chorus of boos, and he smiled during pre-fight introductions.

He even smiled when opponent and clear-cut fan favorite Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson, a fellow cast member from “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” cracked him with a right hand and scored multiple first-round slams with ease. The biggest grins, though, came in the second round when a well-conditioned Mitrione simply chopped down a tiring Ferguson with stinging leg kicks, brutal knees and crisp punching.

The mounting offense sapped the former streetfighter and YouTube sensation of any energy and allowed Mitrione to tee off with a prolonged ground-and-pound assault after a second-round takedown. The onslaught prompted a merciful TKO stoppage at the 4:24 mark of the round.

In a post-fight interview, Mitrione, who showed remarkably improved conditioning, thanked coach Duke Roufus and training partner Pat Barry for their help in getting him ready for the fight.

With the win, Mitrione improves to 2-0 overall and 2-0 in the UFC. “Kimbo,” meanwhile, drops to 4-2 (1-1 UFC) with his first loss since an infamous CBS-televised EliteXC loss to Seth Petruzelli in 2008.

In the night’s televised opener, former top middleweight contender Patrick Cote returned from an 18-month layoff and initially showed few signs of ring rust or lingering knee issues. After shaking off an early illegal kick to the groin and absorbing some crushing body kicks, the Canadian forced the fight to the mat and had Alan Belcher grimacing from a kimura attempt. Belcher survived the submission, took top position and fought back for a close first round.

However, in the second round, Cote found his range and took the edge after some spirited exchanges. Belcher was wobbled on a few occasions but continually fought back with his always-effective body kicks. Those blows may have prompted Cote to attempt a takedown, but when the submission specialist dipped for a double-leg takedown, Belcher picked him up and dropped him face first into the mat.

Belcher then quickly transitioned to his opponent’s back, secured a body lock, and torqued a rear-naked choke. Unable to escape, Cote was forced to tap out at the 3:25 mark of the round.

“I’m happy I’m finally fighting to my potential and not coming in here goofing around and not fighting to the best of my ability,” said Belcher, who campaigned for a shot at middleweight champion Anderson Silva in his post-fight interview.

Following the stoppage, Cote complained of an illegal head spike during that pivotal fight-ending takedown. However, replays showed Belcher’s takedown was legal and dropped Cote on his face, not his head.

The victory moves Belcher to 15-7 (6-4 UFC) and marks his fourth UFC victory in a five-fight span. Cote, meanwhile, drops to 13-6 overall and 4-6 in the UFC.

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